


Shards Of The Past: A Persona 5 The Royal Sequel Fan Fic

by Shadow94721



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Persona 5: The Royal, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Sakura Sojiro Adopts Persona 5 Protagonist, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow94721/pseuds/Shadow94721
Summary: Shido....Yaldabaoth....Maruki? It's supposed to be over now right? A new threat rises from shards of Akira's past and it's gonna take more than just the Phantom Thieves to overcome it.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Niijima Makoto/Original Male Character(s), Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

The scene was dark inside the depths of Mementos. The only sounds were the clashing of 2 fighters who found a mysterious power to unlock a creature deep within the heart known as a Persona. One of the Personas was a winged demon that emitted blue flames and the other was a long figure with a knightlike helmet and a sword with black flames as the blade.

"Arsene! Eigaon!"

"Amaterasu! Inferno!"

Both fighters clashed attacks, Arsene shot a burst of red and black waves at the other persona and Amaterasu shot a pillar of fire up from the ground to shield itself from the oncoming curse attack.

"Brave Blade!!" Both fighters shouted as Amaterasu and Arsene both lunged at each other. The force from both attacks caused a huge gust of wind and the clash caused an explosion that forced the attackers back.

Unwilling to give up, the blades of 2 combatants clashing echoed the dark halls of the distorted throne room. Both of the fights locked blades, one, a black like dagger with a menacing butcher-like blade and the other a black chokto.

"Now Akira, do you see why I can't lose this?" The man holding the chokto said.

"I'm not giving up!" Akira tried to remove his mask to summon his signature persona Arsene but his mask flashed back onto his face. "Dammit...." Akira muttered, looking at the man who he was fighting against. Akira weakly fell to one knee

"Looks like we both are out of energy and can't summon our personas. To think we pushed each other this far." The man smirked under his mask then fell to one knee. "Ragh...." he covered his mouth and coughed up a bit of blood.

"You're at your limit as well aren't you. Finally feeling some backlash from over using your power." Akira looked at the man and began to pace himself weakly over to him. "You don't have to go down this path. We can save you."

"Why? So I can go back to that hell of a reality?! No....I'm going to change this world. I will burn this hell down and from the ashes will rise a brand-new world." The man looked over at his fallen dagger wedged into the ground just behind where Akira was walking. He smirked and opened his eyes, teleporting himself to the blade that was behind Akira. The man smirked and thusted his sword into Akira's chest. "Dammit! I was careless" Akira let out a curse as he felt the blade pierce the middle of his chest. His breathing became heavy and he felt his chest heat up from the pain.

"Now your friends will see exactly how broken of a person you truly are Akira. I truly did not want to kill you. But seeing you like this, your friends won't stand in the way of my revolution. You're a failure." The man removed the blade from Akira's chest as Akira fell to one knee, grunting in pain.

"Joker don't you dare give up!" A familar voice said within his own mind.

 _"Akechi......"_ Akira thought to himself. "Please.....don't do this." Akira voice was broken. He felt the pain of having everything ripped away from him and in the end he couldn't protect the people that mattered. Joker looked down, his mask falling to the cold stone ground. Akira looked at his mask, broken from the battle. "I failed...I'm sorry Sumi, i couldn't fufill my promise to you. Maybe he's right...."

"Close your eyes Akira..You won't feel a thing." The man said, a bit of saddened tone hit his vocal cords as he lifted the blade up and slashed down with the only sound being a body hitting the ground. 


	2. Chapter 1

"Akira! Wake up!" A faint boyish voice rang inside Akira's ears. Akira shot up from his seat on the train, frantically patting his chest as he felt his heart pounding racing from the dream he had. Once he realized he was in reality Akira threw his head back and took deep breaths to control his own breathing and heart rate. 

"Another bad dream? Or was it something else this time?" Akira looked down at the black cat with blue eyes sitting on his lap. 

"Just another dream Mona, nothing to be too worried about." He smiled at the cat and scratched the cats neck right behind the ears. 

Akira felt his pocket vibrate with the chime of his IM ringtone, he smiled knowing exactly who it was. 

_**"Senpai! When are you coming back?! I already really want to see you....**_ "

"Dammit Futaba hacked my phone again....really need to talk to her about that." Akira muttered to himself.

_**"How much did Futaba say? She really has a bad habit of hacking.**_ "

_**"She said your parents let you finish your schooling at Shujin! Is it true?"** _

"Dammit Futaba...."

" _ **Yes. I only asked Sojiro, and he told me it was fine. But I had to work. I wanted to surprise everyone."**_

" _ **OMG! How close are you?**_ "

" _ **I** ** _'_ m close to the station in Shibuya. I'll see you soon Sumi.**_"

Akira put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Morgana who was staring at him the whole time. 

"You really get flustered when Yoshizawa texts you." Morgana mocked him in friendly way as he licked his paws. "Shut it Mona." Akira rolled his eyes as he looked out the window to the train station that he never thought would make him so happy.

"I'm home" Akira smiled as the train came to a stop.

Akira stretched after the 4-hour train ride, looking over at Morgana who nodded and burrowed his way into Akira's duffel bag. Akira picked up the bag and made his way to the front of the train. He looked to his right as he felt a familiar presence. He saw a male with long brown hair leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Akechi?" He blinked and the figure was gone. Akira grinned at the thought of his rival watching over him, maybe it was the guilt that he failed to save him twice. He should have saved him during the Shido arc, but he sacrificed himself so they could escape in a way that was his redemption. Akechi may have done terrible things, but in the end he was just another pawn to Shido. Akechi never got the chance to atone for what he did except helping them save the world from Maruki's Actualization at the risk of losing his life again. He still wondered if he made the right call. Everyone whose life was ruined had happiness. Even Joker's wish of Akechi being alive came true Akira never told Akechi because of how he felt about the reality.

But he was happy, he got to finish his schooling at the one place he never thought would hold such a special place in his heart. He got to be with Sumi who he loved. Everything finally was looking up for him.

"Hey are you okay? You're doing that weird spacey thing you do when you get lost in thought." Morgana poked his head out, hanging his legs over Akira's shoulder. "Yeah, I just thought that I never would have missed Tokyo. Inaba is so much different than this place. But seeing mom and my friends back home was cool. But this is my home no-"

"Guess who?!" Before Akira could even finish his sentence he felt someone jump on his back and cover his eyes. He could never forget such a voice. Akira smiled and blushed hard "Hey Sumi." he turned around and his face turned even more red. "Y-you put your hair down." His eyes widened with surpise as he looked at the red haired woman . 

"D-do you n-not like it S-senpai?" Sumire's face turned red but had the look of dissapointment on her face as she shyly looked up.

Akira held out his arm and lifted her chin up and smiled deeply. "No, I love when your hair is down, I also love your glasses. You are Sumire Yoshizawa. You look so beautiful when you are yourself. Want to grab some dinner before I had back to Le Blanc? I'm sure Sojiro wants to catch up so, I want to chat with him and catch up." 

"Y-ou really like it Senpai? I'm so relieved. And yeah, let's go to the diner! My stomach is growling. I definitely need to get some food in me, so I can be in tip-top shape!" Akira smiled at her reply and held his hand out. "Shall we go mi lady?" Sumire had the biggest grin on her face as she grabbed his hand. "I'll just wonder around for a bit around the diner. There's a sweet lady who will give me some tuna. But I expect fatty tuna this time Akira. I'm tired of you guys never giving me any." Morgana pouted as he jumped off Akira's shoulder.

"I promise Mona. And hush, I gave you a bunch back in Inaba." Akira rolled his eyes as him and Sumire held hands and walked to the diner.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
Thw whole walk felt like a fairy tale to Sumire. She was in love with Akira and always wanted them side by side. She hadn't felt anything like this since she started gymnastics with her twin sister Kasumi when they decided to take over the world of gymnastics. She looked at him and wondered why she deserved such a great guy. She was a depressed wreck, and he should have left her to her fate. She even attacked him because of how strong she felt about letting Maruki brainwash her into thinking she was Kasumi Yoshizawa. But he saved her and she was indebted to him. He saw the real Sumire and fell in love with him. No one had ever complimented her appearance. Even after she broke free from her depression, she wanted her hair to look like Kasumi's even if she had to dye her hair brown. Everyone looked at Kasumi like she was the most beautiful girl in the world and didn't pay much attention to her. Even Akira would have gone for Kasumi. 

"You space out as much me Sumi, you spaced during the whole walk. Something on your mind?" Akira looked at her, he was worried about her and knew she was deep in thought. 

"O-oh. It's nothing. Let's get a seat okay?" She returned a smile. Sumire wanted to ask him something but lacked the guts to do so. Akira nodded as he talked with the hostess. "Even she's beautiful, why? Why would Senpai go for me?" She shook the thought off as they grabbed a booth together. 

"I'll take a beef bowl." Akira handed the menu to the hostess who smiled and nodded and looked at Sumire. "And you young lady?"

"O-oh, I'll take the Takoyaki." She handed the menu back to the woman who nodded and left the two of them alone. 

"You usually order a lot to help you body get energy, are you sure you're okay?" Akira looked at her with a worried look

"I can't lie to you senpai, something has been bothering me." She closed her eye and sunk her head. 

"What is it Sumi?"

"W-why did you fall in love with m-me? She closed both of her eyes. Wincing after blurting the question out. "There's Makoto, Haru, Ann.....all of which are much prettier than I am."

"The stupid school pick up trip to somehow save our image after the whole Kamoshida abuse thing. I am soo glad the delinquent student thing died down after Kamoshida's confession."

"I-I still feel really bad about that." Sumire looked down once again.

Akira shook his head and smiled at her. "Don't worry about something like that. Anyways, during that trip, that was when I gained my crush on you. I used the lessons you taught me to better myself as a Phantom Thief. But also I wanted to learn more about you and i spent so much time with you. Seeing you in Hawaii made me so happy. I wish I got to watch the sunset with you. But probably the school dance after the festival. Watching you dance was the most graceful thing I have ever seen. That was the moment when I fell completely in love with you." 

"Yeah, but that wasn't me, that was Kasumi. Everyone always loved her, she was the better sister. She was older and so confident. I couldn't keep up with her."Sumi looked at Akira with tears in her eyes. "I tried to kill you."

"So did Akechi. Three times to be honest. And I still think of him as a friend. Whether or not you seem to think I fell in love with the fake Kasumi isn't true. Because deep down you were alway Sumire. I wanted to save you no matter what and wake you up. You are so graceful when you fight and when you told me you loved me without hesitation I said I love you too. I didn't fall in love with the fake Kasumi, I fell in love with the real Sumire. "

Sumire looked up with a shocked expression on her face as tears rolled down her face. 

"I know you've been through so much in life and watching your sister save your life like she did. I couldn't imagine the pain you went through and that's natural. I love you with all my heart. I love your red hair. I love when your hair is down. I love your glasses. I love everything about you Sumi. I think it's your turn to make a promise to me."

"A-a promise S-Senpai?"

"Promise me you'll never lose who you are again. You are Sumire Yoshizawa." Akira held his pinky out. "You can't break a pinky promise." Sumire without hesitation held her pinky out. Locking hers with his. 

"I promise Senpai. We will take over this world in our own way. I'm keeping my promise to Kasumi and you with every routine." Sumire's new-found confidence found her as the food arrived. "Shall we eat?" Akira blushed at Sumire's determination. 

"Yes!" She gleamed happily.  
\-------------------------------------  
"Ugh, I'm stuffed." Akira leaned back looking over at the plate he cleared. He then looked at the plates that Sumire cleared and cracked a smile. "Guess you got your appitite back?"

"Yes, I have to fuel up you know. I will probably do some stretches when I get ho-" Sumire's eyes wided. "Oh no! I got to go. I forgot I have practice early tomorrow!" 

Akira didn't say anything. He just smiled and lifed her chin up again. Sumire went silent, mesmerized by his eyes. It was calming to see Akira like this. He smiled and leaned in. Feeling his lips touch her sent a chill down her spine and she felt her insides melt. She couldn't get over that she was dating Akira and doubted she ever would. 

"I'll see you tomorrow Sumi, I should head to Le Blanc. I don't want Sojiro to worry and stay late." Sumire nodded and smiled. "I'll text you later Senpai!" Sumire bowed her head and rushed to the train station.

"She really is something isn't she Akira." Morgana walked from a nearby alleyway. "Yeah it's kind of crazy to be honestly. I hated having to start over and now I have everything. Including Sumire." Akira looked over at her as she rushed to the gate. "We should go to before Sojiro scolds me for being late." Akira said as Morgana jumped onto hiss bag and both of them walked to their gate.

\--------------------------------------------------  
Akira walked up to the familiar door that has been his home for the past year. He smiled. Akira knew it was bare and wasn't much. But he would gladly give up the luxury of his home life to be with his girlfriend and best friends. Akira smiled and opened the door, hearing the bell chime that never got old. "Hey kid, about time you showed up. I was getting a bit worried about you." He heard his former guardian chuckle. "Both you and Futaba are gonna be the death of me, I swear." 

"Hey Sojiro, thank you for letting me stay here for another year." Akira bowed. 

"No need for that, this year is different. No criminal record and I trust you to keep your head clean. I still can't believe the criminal I took in saved Futaba, saved Tokyo- No saved the world from 2 different gods. I'm indebted to you. I even gave your room a bit more of a touch up. You're not that criminal anymore so I figured I'd help you out for once. But you're gonna have to help me out around the shop kid." Sojiro scratched the back of his head and Akira smiled and nodded. "You know i'll help out when I'm free."

"I'm sure Futaba is dying to see you, after all she thinks of you as an older brother. So I'll close up shop and let you get some rest okay?" Sojiro flashed a small smile at Akira. "Oh and I'm glad you're back kid. It was pretty quiet without you and the cat." Sojiro waved his arm as he flipped the sign and walked out the door. 

"Let's get some sleep Akira. We had a long day today." Akira nodded as he headed upstairs 

"Woah, he gave me an actual bed and a TV upgrade. Leave it to Sojiro to surprise me. Maybe he does care a bit." Akira joked as he looked over at the desk to another suprise. "This is a pretty nice computer. No way Sojiro actually spent money for this." Akira looked at the computer and found a note on the keyboard.

"Hey, so I figured you're gonna need a computer for school so I built this one for you. After all if it wasn't for you, I'd still be locked up in my room. I went out and bought the parts myself! See you tomorrow!" Akira smiled and put the note back down as Morgana jumped off his shoulder and leapt onto the bed. "Hey, it's comfortable."

"Let me get changed and we will head to bed." Akira yawned as he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and prepare for bed.  
\--------------------------------------------  
Akira crawled into the bed and smiled. He was home. Inaba was nice but he had a life here. A girl who loves him, and friend. No. A family that supports him no matter what. He looked over at Mona who was already passed out and snored quietly. Akira closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Deep in his sleep the black became blue, and he drifted off into the velvet room. 

"Igor? Lavenza? What's going on." Akira looked around the circular room. He wasn't locked in a cell anymore to his relief. But he noticed one thing that shocked him to his core. "Akira, it's been awhile. We need to talk." The voice said. Stepping out of the shadows was a male with long brown hair with a voice that sounded all too familiar. "Akechi?" Akira said as his stood face to face with his rival.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're alive?!" Akira looked at his rival who also was one of his close friends. 

"Guess Maruki pulled one last surprise before his world crumbled." The light brown haired boy scoffed at the thought of someone svaing his life.

"Actually I'm like your friend Morgana. I exist in the velvet room to help Igor and Lavenza out. They gave me a chance to atone for the past sins I committed. I ruined so many lives, including your friends. Now I get a chance to redeem myself for the crimes I commited just like Shido and the rest." Akechi cracked a soft smile. "Look at me getting all soft. Guess you and your idiotic friends rubbed off on me too. You truly are special Akira. 

Akechi straightened his body."Anyway, we need to talk." Akechi took a deep sigh and changed his tone to something a bit more serious. "Looks like the metaverse is back. Palaces and all." 

"What?! We beat Shido. We beat Yaldabaoth. We beat Maruki. What the hell man. As far as I'm concerned nothing can top those three." Akira looked over at Igor who had a solemn look on his face. 

"He's right. Shido and Maruki, even Yaldabaoth were mere pawns in an even bigger game. This is the true test trickster. You defied fate three times and held true to your own beliefs. But the game has changed and this time it'll push your own limits and your beliefs to the max. That's why I helped Akechi find his place in the game. How will you fare now that the rules have changed?' Igor leaned back in his chair, crossing his fingers and covering his mouth while resting his elbows on the desk.

"We will do everything we can to help you and your teammates overcome the new game fate has in store for you. Including the metanav." The young blonde haired woman in a blue dress approached Akira. "Thank you, Lavenza. We will defeat whoever reset the game. I promise all of you that." Akira looked at the 3 velvet room attendants.

"I'll try to help you as much as I can though your cognition Akira." Akechi smirked and held his hand out. Akira smiled softly and grasped Akechi's hand. "Though you better not lose. Or I'll kill you again." 

"Fair enough." The room faded from blue back to black.   
\-----------------------------------------------------------  
Akira woke up to the sound of his alarm chiming. He hated the tone but it beats having an actual alarm clock. He pulled the phone off the charger and looked at his screen. "That wasn't just a dream. There's the Metanav. I wonder of the others have it back as well." Akira thought to himself as he looked at his IM app and saw a message. 

_**"Good morning Senpai, I wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner again tonight. My parents would love to meet you."**_

Akira gulped nervously. He never expected to meet Sumire's parents this quick. He knew it was a natural part of dating. He did meet her dad, and he seemed to like Akira. But his mom made him even more nervous. He looked at the second message. 

_**"Wanna have dinner at Le Blanc? I uh kind of maaaybe bragged about your cooking and my mother is intrigued."** _

"Fuck...." Akira buried his head in his hands and let a deep sigh. He quickly regained his composure and picked his phone back. 

_**"Yeah, let me talk to Sojiro. Are your sure your parents are okay with that?"**_

_**"It was their idea. Are you nervous senpai?"** _

_**"A little bit."** _

_**"So the leader of the phantom thieves can get nervous?"** _

Akira could hear Morgana snickering to which he responded by rolling his eyes.

_**"I have to cook. I've literally only cooked for you guys. I gotta make it perfect."** _

_**"You'll be fine senpai. I have to go to practice. I'll see you later tonight, I love you~."** _

_**"Good luck at practice Sumi. I love you too."** _

Akira locked his phone and looked at Morgana who was still snickering. "Don't you say a damn thing or no Tuna for you." 

"I'll be good."

Akira rubbed his eyes and pondered about the dream he had. Could it be true? Is there an even bigger threat out there. How can his first year Shujin even be topped? He almost died and took on a literal god. 

"Heyyyyy Renren. Long time no see! Did you enjoy your date with Sumire? Of course you did. I have to look over my big brother after all." Akira looked up at the orange hair girl. She did her signature pose which was holding her hands behind her back. 

"I really wish you weren't such a good hacker. Also can you not tease me about my middle name? You'll have Sumi calling me that as well..."

"Fineeeeee. But, you owe me the new featherman game!"

Akira rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly "I guess this isn't as bad as when you sent me her conversations about me to her friends." Akira stood up and stretched his body. "Sojiro needs some help around the shop. But i'll help out too and keep ya company."

"How is everyone? I know you've been keeping tabs on them."

"Well if you must know Ryuji's rehab is going well, and he's gonna pursue possibly doing track at the national level.   
Ann has been trying to make her way into acting, she's actually been doing online school while taking lessons. Her grades are amazing but that's because of moi! Actually the biggest surprise is Ryuji and Ann are dating."

"WHAT?! L-lady Ann went for that moron?! She was supposed to save herself for me..." Morgana looked down after realizing that both Akira and Futaba were both staring at him. "Mona, you are still a cat."Akira looked at Morgana with a confused expression on his face.

"I am n-" Morgana paused after realizing his protest was going to go nowhere, just like it always has been.

"As long as she's happy. But if he breaks her heart I'm gonna hurt him."Both of them snickered at Morgana's sudden outburst. 

"Yusuke is still painting and he's actually still in Tokyo."Futaba continued."I'm a second year at Shujin and I actually have classes with Sumire so I'm not as scared to be out there as I used to be. Plus she really is a good cook.

Haru and Makoto both moved into their own Apartment. Haru is taking business classes to help impove her skills to open her own chain of cafes and Makoto is still adamant about becoming a police commish to fufil her father's dream."

Akira couldn't help but crack a smile at the success of his friends. He wondered if he should bother them with the new threat that was silently approching. He had Akechi, Morgana, and Sumire.

"I'm glad everyone is doing so well and finding their own happiness."

"Mhm. Now get your lazy butt downstairs!" Futaba smiled at him, teasing Akira as he rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah yeah, let me get dressed and I'll be right down. Futaba nodded and rushed downstairs.   
\---------------------------------------------------  
Akira couldn't help but be excited to be working at Le Blanc again. He knew there wasn't pay, but he had passion towards cooking. It soothed him and was a slight escape from the mental toll of being the leader of the thieves. Sojiro gave him advice about life as well, being that father figure that Akira looked up to. Akira's father was always wrapped up in his work and was never home so he looked at Sojiro as that father that he could rely on even though he understood that his father helped pay everything so his mom could stay home and look after him, he still missed his dad. 

"Hey Sojiro. Can I ask a favor from you?"Akira looked at his caretaker who had a look of shock on his face.

"You, asking a favor? That's not like you at all kid. What is it?"

"So Sumire wants me to meet her parents formally, and they requested if they could dine at Le Blanc because Sumi I guess bragged about how well you taught me to cook." Akira was nervous asking for a favor. He had so many people rely on him that it was a weird feeling to ask for help or even something small that he even knew the answer to.

"Heh, you're finally growing up. Is Yoshizawa-san your first girlfriend?" Akira looked down. With his face bright red he embarrassingly nodded his head. 

"Hoo boy, just be yourself. You're a good kid and I'm glad I was wrong about you. Remember to breathe and be respectful. You will blow them away with your cook. Remember everything I taught you. Just don't think about impressing them. Be yourself and you will be fine."

"I mean I met her dad and I helped Sumi pick out his glasses. I never met her mom or really cooked for grown-ups."

"Here, use this recipe. It's what I used to swoon Wakaba. She loved it and I'm sure Yoshizawa-san's parents will like it."Sojiro pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer under the bar portion of the cafe. Akira looked at him with a shocked look on his face. 

"No need to thank me yet. Sumire keeps you out of trouble so as your caregiver I have to show my appreciation somehow. What time are they coming by? We can close early since most of the regulars have already came and gone. We can get some prep work done and I'll tell you how to throw it all together." Sojiro rubbed his neck 

"Thank you, Sojiro. I definitely owe you one after this." Akira looked at the paper. The recipe didn't look terribly difficult. Plus Sojiro offered to help him take a bit of a shortcut. Akira looked back at Sojiro and smiled softly then bowed his head.

"Don't get all soft on me now. We still have to do the prepwork and I'll teach you how to finish it off. Just remember that plating is just as important as making sure the food is actually edible." Sojiro instructed as Akira paid close attention as they started to prep for the dinner

\----------------------------------------------------------------

About an hour later after the prep was done, Sojiro gave Akira advice on how to present himself and the food as they finished up. "You got this kid. I know they will like you."Akira never saw this side of Sojiro before, he was surprisingly optimistic. Akira snapped out of his own thoughts. He looked over and nodded then had a stunned look on his face for a second as he frantically checked his phone. 

"Shit! It's already almost 6..." Sojiro rolled his eyes. "I'll close now. The prep work is done. If you cook it right and plate it beautiful you will pull this off." Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck and made his way to the door. "You should call Sumire by the way." Akira's face shot up in horror. Maybe he really was nervous about the whole thing. He knew he shouldn't panic, but he did.

"You're a mess. Relax, if you could get through to Futaba and this old man's heart. Dating will be easy. This isn't like being a Phantom Thief and saving the world. This is about being the real Akira Kurusu." Sojiro opened the door, flipping the sign and giving a quick wave before leaving Akira alone in Le Blanc.

"Is Yoshizawa and her parents coming by? I'll help you get ready! We will steal her parent's hearts!" Mona mewed from the stairs as rubbed his face in disappointment at his friends weak comment. "I'll be okay Mona." Akira took a deep breath. He felt his heart racing more and more. He hadn't felt like this since their first date. 

Akira pulled his phone out and opened his text thread with Sumi.

_**"Almost ready Senpai? I wanna see you~ plus my mom is dying to meet the famous Akira..."** _

**_"Yeah Sumi, sorry I was getting prep work done and Sojiro had a few guidelines to me renting out the cafe. When are you coming?"_ **

_**"We will leave shortly! See you in 20 minutes senpai!"** _

"20 minutes.......I'm not even close to ready yet." Akira thought to himself.

**_"See you in 20 Sumi."_ **

Akira closed his phone and ran upstairs to quickly change out of his cafe outfit.  
\---------------------------------------------------------   
Akira looked at the time on his phone as he finished the final touches on his dish. Akira wore a white long sleeved button up shirt with his school's pants to match the shirt he was weaing. Akira covered the pot of curry as didn't want to make Sumi and her parents wait for the food. He took a deep breath as he heard a slight knock on the glass door. Akira gulped and put the lid on the rice after making sure it was cooked perfectly. He tried to take a deep breath to slow down his heart beat. Akira looked over at the door and began what felt like a long trek. Every step he took echoed in his head as he went to open the door he was greeted with a big hug. He stumbled and smiled as he put his arms around the red-headed female he was waiting for. 

"Sumi.....can't breathe." Sumire eyes widened as she let go. "I-I'm s-sorry Senpai."  
Akira looked at her and blushed. Akira looked to his left and smiled as he saw an older male wave to him. "Hello Kurusu-kun. It's been a while." The man smiled and held his hand out. "Please Yoshizawa-san come in. I have dinner all ready. It's a special recipe that was handed down to me, so I hope the 3 of you enjoy. Akira shook the mans hand and promptly bowed. "This is my wife Saki Yoshizawa. Saki smiled and looked at Akira. 

"So you're the one Sumire has been raving about. I must say you are a very impressive young man." Akira smile and bowed his head. 

"No need for the formalties. Call me Shinichi." Shinichi smiled as Akira opened the door for them. 

"Please take a seat, I just need to plate the food and it will be ready." Akira took a slight deep breath as the 3 picked a booth and started to chat among themselves. Raving about the atmosphere and how responsible Akira was for living on his own.

Akira followed Sojiro's exact directions by using the special dishes Sojiro pulled out for him. He scooped rice into the porcelain bowls. Then topped it with the special curry. He felt his heart calm down a bit while being sure to plate it perfectly. He smiled as he took a tray and set it on the table. He flashed a nervous smile as he put a bowl in front of each of them and sat nervously next to Sumire.

"So Sumire says you're from Inaba? We actually stayed there for 6 months." Saki looked at Akira. Akira looked surprised as his brows rose up. "I had no idea...."

"Yeah, our late daughter even had a little boyfriend. I believe his name was Taka-kun. He was such a sweet boy." Shinichi looked puzzled. He regretted bring up Kasumi at dinner. It was supposed to be a joyish occasion for them.

"Yeah. Ashido was like a brother to me growing up. In fact, he's transferring to Shujin tomorrow. I had no idea they dated."

"So do you live here alone?" Saki asked as she took her first bite of the curry. Her face looked relaxed as she took another big bite.

"Yeah, Sojiro stays at his house down the road with his daughter. So after we close up, I clean the store and make sure everything is ready for the morning for the regulars. I work here in my spare time. I kind of got a passion for cooking that I didn't know that I had." Akira rubbed the back of his neck like Sojiro would during a conversation. 

"You really are something. I'm glad Sumire found you. You're responsible, you look driven. I also hear you have good grades from her as well."Taking another bite of the curry her eyes lit up. "This is amazing! You are very impressive Kurusu-kun." Saki said as she grinned over at her husband. Akira looked over at Shinichi who seemed to enjoy the curry just as much. "I already knew he was impressive after he picked my glasses out. Also, amazing job on the curry. The spices were blended perfectly and the flavor is out of this world."Shinichi looked over at Sumire and flashed her a quick smile. "I believe we approve of him. You truly found a great man in Akira, Sumi." 

Sumire's face turned bright red and began to feel flustered. "I-I d-did? I really am in love with him." Sumire closed her eyes and sunk her shoulders. Trying to hide the fact she just blurted out her feelings in front of her parents. They both smiled at her. "I'm glad you're finally becoming yourself again." Shinichi looked over as a grin appeared on his face. He looked at his wife and she gave a nod

"Hmmm, so you don't have practice for the rest of the week. Would you like to stay here for the night? I know you've been dying to and I need to stop being so overprotective. The only guideline is you can't skip or be late tomorrow." Shinichi looked over at the two shocked teenagers. 

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want to push any boundaries." Akira looked conflicted over the sudden decision.

"I-I don't have a b-bag with m-my stuff." Sumire once again hid her face from embarassment

"Yeah. You both are responsible. That's why I suggested Le Blanc. In fact, we already talked to Sakura-san about it. We wanted to see how responsible you truly are. You made eye contact and cooked awesome food. You are extremely respectful and I trust you. I know you both have been apart for a bit and it must have been difficult to give up Inaba for Tokyo. So we wanted to surprise both of you. Also Sumi we have your bag in the car so no need to worry about that." Saki gave Shinichi a look as if she wanted to just enjoy the food. He gave her a look of defeat and faced the bowl of curry

"Anyway, let's finish the curry." Saki smiled as she grabbed her cutlerly and began to eat. Akira looked over at Sumire and blushed hard as both of them began to dig into their food.   
\------------------------------------------------------  
Akira answered questions about his past, his family as honestly and respectful as he could. After a while both Saki and Shinichi both stood up and stretched. "After School you come home okay Sumire? We are trusting you both to head to school tomorrow, on time." Shinichi sounded stern for the first time during the night. Akira bowed quietly and lifted his body back up. "You have my word sir."

"It was wonderful to meet you Kurusu-kun. Next time dinner is on us!" Saki grinned at Akira, who returned the gesture. "I'm looking for to it Saki." 

"Both of you have a great night okay?" Saki waved at both Akira and Sumire. Who returned the wave as both parents faded into the distance. 

Akira looked at the booth and realized he should probably clean up before Sojiro comes in and scolds him. "Do you want to go upstairs and change? I have some spare clothes you can try on if you want. Thankfully your parents brought your stuff." 

"S-senpai....I would love to wear your shirt i-if that's okay? I know it s-sounds w-weird."

"Not at all Sumi, I have some clothes in the bathroom. I'll change in there after I finish cleaning up. Mona is upstairs though."

"Hurry up Senpai." Sumire exclaimed as she jogged upstairs. He chuckled. He thought she was adorable the way she gets excited. In a way it broke her shyness but that's one of the many parts he loved about her. He looked over at the exact seat where she confessed her love for him. He quickly shook the thought off and focused on getting the store clean and changing.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Akira finally finished and changed into his sleeping clothes. He began to walk up stairs. His heart racing with every step. They finally got a night to themselves. He always wondered what it would be like to wake up next to her and not just wake up to a text. That thought gave him a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He finally made it to the top to see Sumi wearing one of grey shirts and a pair of sweats with hearts on them. She took the red ribbon out of her hair, and he noticed her glasses were on the desk. 

"Are you ready for bed Senpai?" 

"Y-yeah." Akira looked over at Morgana who yawned. 

"I can sleep on the couch tonight. Guess I'll have to get used to this"

"It's okay Mona, you can stay on the bed if you want."

Mona looked surprised as Sumire nodded as well.

"It's okay Mona-senpai." She looked at Morgana who flushed with a smile. "Thanks guys." 

Sumire opened up the covers, blushing deeper with every step Akira took. This was really happening with them. They were about to spend their first night together and the thought made her heart rate skyrocket. Akira stretched as he entered the blankets and covered both of them. Sumire quickly snuggled up to him as Morgana took a spot just below both of their feet. Sumire laid her head on Akira's chest and found peace in hearing Akira's heartbeat. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep to the sound of his heart pumping.

"She's already out? I guess she did eat a lot at dinner." Akira looked at Morgana who also fell asleep. "You too?" Akira rolled his eyes, putting his arms around Sumire he drifted off into a deep sleep.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
The scene was dark. The only light in the cave was the lines on the cold ground that glowed a deep vermilion red. The cave seemed a bit futuristic with a bit of technological feel to it. The cave had little lighting, masking the identities of the small group, standing in a circular formation.

In the middle of the dark room was a group of 6 hooded figures with a masked man in the middle of them. Each member one by one took a knee to the masked figure in the middle. 

"Now that you have all gathered. It's time to make our move. You all have a job to do. I suggest you get started. I'm counting on you 6 to complete our objective." The man in the mask said with a distortion in his voice that sounded almost robotic.

"I take it I'm first? I will not fail you my lord." One of the hooded figures dropped back down to one knee and bowed his head. "We the shadow riders will rise and destroy the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." The hooded man looked up at the masked figured.

"I'm counting on you. Now then. Let's get to work." The masked man chuckled and each hooded figure bowed one at a time to the figure who began to laugh hysterically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a bit more fluff. I am not used to writing fluff like this at all so I hope it's not too bad. I wanted to push this chapter out sooner, but I got a bit carried away. 
> 
> I decided to use Ren as Akira's middle name as a bit of a fun way to include Ren and Akira in the same name.
> 
> I probably will dabble with Sumi and Akira back in inaba. Since I think it would be a fun idea and dynamic to add to the story.
> 
> Shadow Riders are the first tease to the main plot line. I tried to tease it like at the end of an episode of a show to keep the audience interested.
> 
> I also will be including links to fics from a few friends that have helped me create inspiration to my story in future chapters. I'll add some when I wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first crack at a Persona 5 fan fic and I hope you guys enjoy. Big shoutout to the Church of Kasumi discord server for helping me flesh out some ideas that I hope you do enjoy. 
> 
> Another note. Amaterasu is not the same persona from the previous game. It's my own twist on the Persona.


End file.
